Device for generating pulsating movements

ABSTRACT

A device generating pulsed motions comprises: (A) two parallel shafts ( 3; 4 ) each having a longitudinal axis ( 5; 6 ), a rear end ( 7; 8 ) and a front end ( 9; 10 ), (B) a gear unit ( 2 ) comprising at least two gears ( 20; 21 ) where at least two gears ( 20 ) are oval gears and each gear ( 20; 21 ) is connected to a rear end ( 7; 8 ) of the two shafts ( 3; 4 ), (C) two arcuate drive levers ( 30; 31 ) each having a first end ( 32; 33 ) and at least one second end ( 34; 35 ), where each first end ( 32; 33 ) of the drive levers ( 30; 31 ) is connected to one front end ( 9; 10 ) of the two shafts ( 3; 4 ) in rotatable manner about a first axis of rotation ( 11; 12 ), and (E) a drive body ( 40 ) which is connected to the second ends ( 34; 35 ) of the drive levers ( 30; 31 ) in rotatable manner about two second axes of rotation ( 13; 14 ), where (F) the drive body ( 40 ) is a polysomic body.

The present invention relates to a device generating pulsed motions asdefined in the preamble of claim 1.

The patent document WO 99/05435 ABT discloses a gear unit transmittingtorques in positive, i.e. geometrically locking manner between twoshafts which are connected to the ends of a chain of at least twodisplaceable connecting links, where this chain is based on theprinciple of the everted, hereafter invertable links cube (Paul Schatz,“Rhythmusforschung und Technik”, [“Rhythm Research and Engineering”]Freies Geistesleben Publisher, 1975/98, 2^(nd) edition}. In oneembodiment mode the two connecting links are circular panes or toriallowing converting the kinetic energy of a flow of gas, of liquid or ofanother viscous medium, into a torque applied to two shafts rotating inpulsed manner. Inversely, a torque applied to at least one rotatingshaft may be converted also into a pulsed flow motion of a gas, of aliquid or another viscous medium, however the relative motion of the twocircular panes do generate high power dissipation and thereby entail lowefficiency.

The objective of the present invention is to offer palliation. Its goalis to create a device generating pulsed motions and comprising a drivebody of maximum efficiency.

The present invention solves this problem by a pulsed motion generatordefined by the features of claim 1.

The advantages attained by the present invention substantially are asfollows:

a flow of a gas, of a liquid and/or of a bulk good can be attained withmaximum drive body efficiency, and

extensive flow within a large volume of the gas, of the liquid and/or ofthe bulk good is attainable, or

inversely, the kinetic energy of a flowing gas, or a flowing liquidand/or a flowing bulk good is convertible at maximum efficiency into therotation of at least one shaft.

Accordingly the drive body may be used on one hand to generate a pulsedflow of a gas, of a liquid and/or of a bulk good using motor driveswhile on the other hand it may be used to generate a shaft rotation bymeans of the kinetic energy in the flow of a gas, of a liquid and/or ofa bulk good. In the latter application, a generator may be connected bya gear unit of oval gears to the minimum of one shaft rotating in pulsedmanner.

In a preferred embodiment mode of the present invention, the drive bodyis an oloid in the form of a special polysome design. The mathematicaldefinition of the oloid is given in the work

“Rhythmusforschung und Technik:” [Rhythm Research and Engineering], PaulSchatz, Freies Geistesleben Publisher, 1998, 2^(nd) edtion.

The oloid offers the advantages of low impedance, for instance whenbeing used as an agitator/stirrer. As shown by the inversion kinematicsdiscovered by Paul Schatz, the oloid moves like a paddle or like a fishtail fin in the medium to be agitated and as a result generates arhythmically pulsed flow.

In a further embodiment mode, the legs of each arcuate drive lever willsubtend a plane. Each first axis of rotation is transverse to the planewhich is subtended by the legs of the corresponding drive lever andwhich contains that drive lever that is connected to said axis ofrotation, whereas the two second axes of rotation are situated in theseplanes. The two second axes of rotation are mutually skewed. This drivelever design offers the advantage that the drive body may be used as themiddle link of an articulation based on the principle of invertedarticulations, namely that the gas, the liquid or the bulk good shall bemoved in rhythmic pulses. The inverted articulation principle is one ofthe illustrative embodiments of the Paul Schatz inverse kinematics andis comprehensively discussed in “Rhythmusforschung und Technik”, FreiesGeistesleben Publisher, 1975/98, 2^(nd) edition.

In a further embodiment mode of the present invention, the two axes ofrotation are apart a distance A.

In another embodiment mode, a gap B keeps the first axis of rotationapart from the second axis of rotation at every drive lever. Preferablythe spacings A and B meet the condition A=B.

Each oval gear comprises a large semi-axis a and an small semi-axis b.The oval shape of these gears then is determined by the fact that twomutually meshing gears will roll on each other in positively lockingmanner at constant axial separation. The axial gap Between two mutuallymeshing oval gears is composed of the sum of the large semi-axis a andthe small semi-axis b of these two oval gears.

In another embodiment mode at least one oval gear exhibits a ratio of1/√2 of its small semi-axis b to its large semi-axis a.

In still another embodiment mode, at least one oval gear exhibits aratio of 1/2 of its small semi-axis b to its large semi-axis a.

The two ratios of 1/√2 and 1/2 of the small semi-axis b to the largesemi-axis a are appropriate to convert uniform rotational motion forinstance of a drive shaft into an irregular rotational motion of the twoshafts acting on the drive lever, where said shafts run in rotationallypulsed manner according to the principle of invertable articulations.

The invention and its further developments are elucidated below asseveral illustrative embodiments partly shown in schematic views.

FIG. 1 is an elevation of one embodiment of the device of the presentinvention,

FIG. 2 is a topview of the embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective of the drive body of one embodiment mode of thedevice of the invention, and

FIG. 4 shows the development of the drive body of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a topview of the gear unit of another embodiment mode of thedevice of the invention,

FIG. 6 is a topview of the gear unit of still another embodiment mode ofthe device of the invention,

FIG. 7 is a topview of the gear unit of still another embodiment mode ofthe device of the invention, and

FIG. 8 is a topview of the gear unit of yet another embodiment mode ofthe device of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the device of the invention used togenerate a flow motion of the fluid enclosing the drive body 40. Thedrive body 40 is designed as an oloid and it is configured in a mannerthat its central part constitutes the middle link of an invertablearticulation consisting of three links. The two outer links are U-shapeddrive levers 30; 31 each fitted at their legs with two front, free ends34; 35 and at their connection brackets each with one rear end 32; 33.Each of the rear ends 32; 33 of the two drive levers 30; 31 aredisplaceably related, hereafter connected, by means of a first axis ofrotation 11; 12 to a front end 9; 10 of two parallel shafts 3; 4. Thetwo first axes of rotation 11; 12 are connected in such manner to thedrive levers 30; 31 that the first axis of rotation 11 connected to thedrive lever 30 is perpendicular to a plane 36; 37 subtended by the legsand the connecting bracket of the drive lever 30 and in that the firstaxis of rotation 12 connected to the second drive lever 31 isperpendicular to a plane 37 subtended by the legs and the connectingbracket of the second drive lever 31. A gap B separates the first andsecond axis of rotation 11; 12; 13; 14 at each drive lever 30; 31.

The drive body 40 is displaceably connected to the drive levers 30, 31by means of two second axes of rotation 13; 14 rotatably configured onthe front ends 34; 35 of the drive levers 30; 31. The two second axes ofrotation 13; 14 are configured obliquely to each other and apart by adistance A. That distance A in this case corresponds to the gap B.

The gap Between the two parallel shafts 3; 4 follows from the constraintthat the drive levers 30; 31 and the middle part between the two axes ofrotation 13; 14 of the drive body 40 designed as an oloid shallconstitute the three links of an invertable articulation. The (omitted)rear ends of the two parallel shafts 3; 4 are supported in rotatablemanner about their longitudinal axes 5; 6. In the embodiment shownherein, only the first shaft 3 in a gear unit housing 15 is connected bya gear unit 2 of oval gears 20 to the drive shaft 16 of the motorizeddrive element(s) 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal axes 5; 17 of the first shaft 3 andof the drive shaft 16 are a distance Z apart which corresponds to thesum of the small semi-axis b and the large semi-axis a of the two ovalgears 20′; 20′. Accordingly the two oval gears 20′; 20′ shall bemutually engaged at any arbitrary angle of rotation. The two oval gears20′; 20″ in the gear unit 2 make it possible to convert a uniformrotation of the drive shaft 16 into an irregular, rhythmically pulsingrotation of the first shaft 3. By selecting in this instance the ratioof the small semi-axis b to the large semi-axis a of the oval gears 20′;20″ to be 1/√2, the irregular rotation of the first shaft 3 is able toinduce the tumbling and rotational motion of the first drive lever 30 ofthe invertable articulation.

FIG. 3 is a perspective elevation of the drive body 40 designed as anoloid. FIG. 4 shows the development of this oloid. The developed oloidsurface 25 is composed of a rectangular middle element 26 and in eachcase of four quarter-circle elements 27 configured on the long sides ofsaid rectangular middle element. The length of the middle element 26 isl and its width is b, in this instance the width b corresponding to thedistance A (FIG. 1) between the two second axes of rotation 13; 14. Theradii r of the quarter-circle elements 27 are one fourth the length l,i.e., r=l/4. Furthermore the centers 28 of the quarter-circle elements27 are configured in a manner that they are spaced apart by the radius rfrom the ends of the long sides, whereas, on the other long side of saidrectangular middle element 26, two of the centers 28 coincide with thecorners between the long and short sides of said element 26 and afurther, third center 28 is configured at the half length l of the longside of said rectangular middle element 26.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the gear unit 2 which merely differs fromthat shown in FIG. 2 in that both shafts 3; 4 are being actuated bymeans of the unit 2 from the drive shaft 16. For that purpose anintermediate gear unit fitted with four circular gears 21 is mountedbetween the drive shaft 16 and a further similar shaft 18 parallel tothe drive shaft 16. The longitudinal axes 5; 6; 17; 19 of the driveshaft 16, of the second uniformly rotating shaft 18 and of the twoirregularly rotating shafts 3; 4 are parallel and are configured at thecorners of a rectangle having a height Z. The two oval gears 20′; 20″transmitting torques between the first shaft 3 and the drive shaft 16are rotated relative to their semi-axes a; b (FIG. 2) by 90°. Thisfeature also applies to the two oval gears 20″′ 20″″ which transmittorques between the second shaft 4 and the second uniformly rotatingshaft 18. Both pairs of gears 20′; 20″ and 20″′; 20″″ are rotationally90° apart. The number of circular gears 21 is therefore selected in away to result in opposite directions of rotation for the drive shaft 16and the second uniformly rotating shaft 18.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the gear unit 2 differing from thatof FIG. 2 by the torque transmission from the drive shaft 16 connectedto the drive elements 1 to both shafts 3; 4 being implemented by gears20; 21. Furthermore in this instance the oval gears 20 are designed in amanner that the ratio of the small semi-axis b to the large semi-axis ais 1/√2. The torque transmission from the uniformly rotating drive shaft16 to the irregularly rotating first shaft 3 is implemented by mutuallymeshing oval gears 20′; 20″ that are shifted by 90° with respect totheir semi-axes a; b. Torque transmission from the uniformly rotatingdrive shaft 16 to the irregularly rotating second shaft 4 is implementedby a pair of oval gears 20′; 20″ and a pair of circular gears 21′; 21″,the torque transmission taking place from the oval gear 20′ connected tothe uniformly rotating drive shaft 16, to the oval gear 20″′ connectedto an irregularly rotating accessory shaft 22, and from there by meansof a circular gear 21′ which is also connected to the accessory shaft 22to the circular gear 21″ connected to the second shaft 4. Thelongitudinal axes 5; 6, 17; 23 of the drive shaft 16, of the first andsecond shafts 5; 6 and of the accessory shaft 22 are parallel, a spacingZ corresponding to the sum of the semi axes a: b of the two oval gears20′; 20″ being subtended between the drive shaft 16 and the first shaft3. The drive shaft 16 and the accessory shaft 22 also are apart by adistance Z. The circular gears 21′; 21″ assure the required direction ofrotation of the two shafts 3; 4 and their diameters match the requiredgap B between the two shafts 3; 4.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the gear unit 2 differing from that ofFIG. 2 only in that the torque transmission from the drive shaft 16 tothe first shaft 3 is implemented by means of two oval gears 20′, 20″ andsimultaneously there is torque transmission from the drive shaft 16 tothe second shaft 4 by means of two oval gears 20″′; 20″″ and twocircular gears 21′; 21″. The design of both pairs of oval gears 20′;20″; 20″′; 20″″ is such that the ratio of the small semi-axes b to thelarge semi-axes a is 1/√2. The two oval gears 20′; 20″ connected to thedrive shaft 16 are mutually shifted by 90° as regards their semi-axes a;b. Moreover an accessory shaft 22 is mounted between the drive shaft 16and the second shaft 4, and it is connected to the oval gear 20″ and thecircular gear 21′. The two circular gears 21′; 21″ assure that the twoshafts 3; 4 rotate in opposite directions. The drive shaft 16, the firstand the second shafts 3; 4 and the accessory shaft 22 are configured ina way that their longitudinal axes 5; 6; 17; 23 are mutually parallel.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the gear unit 2 differing from that ofFIG. 2 only in that torque transmission from the drive shaft 16 to eachof the two shafts 3; 4 is implemented by two respective oval gears 20′;20″; 20″′; 20″″. One oval gear 20′ is connected to the drive shaft 16,two oval gears 20″; 20″′ are connected to the first shaft 3 and one ovalgear 20″″ is connected to the second shaft 4. The two oval gears 20″;20″′ connected to the first shaft 3 are rotation-shifted by 90° asregards their semi-axes. Also, the two oval gears 20′, 20″ (where 20′ isconnected to the drive shaft 16 and 20″ is connected to the first shaft3) are configured in a manner that the ratio of the small semi-axes b tothe major semi-axes a is 1/√2 whereas the two oval gears 20″′; 20″″(where 20″′ is connected to the first shaft 3 and 20″″ is connected tothje second shaft 4) are configured in a manner that the ratio of thesmall semi-axes b to the large semi-axes b is 1/2.

1. A device to generate pulsed motions, comprising: (A) two parallelshafts (3; 4), each of said parallel shafts having a longitudinal axis(5; 6), a rear end (7; 8), and a front end (9; 10); (B) a gear unit (2)comprising at least two gears (20; 21), at least one of said at leasttwo gears (20) being oval gears and each gear (20; 21) being connectedto one of the rear ends (7; 8) of the two shafts (3; 4); (C) two arcuatedrive levers (30; 31), each of said arcuate drive levers having a firstend (32; 33) and at least one second end (34; 35), where each first end(32; 33) of the drive levers (30; 31) is connected in rotatable mannerwith one respective front end (9; 10) of the two shafts (3; 4) about afirst axis of rotation (11; 12); and (E) a drive body (40) connected tothe second ends (34; 35) of the drive levers (30; 31) so as to berotatable about two second axes of rotation (13; 14), wherein (F) thedrive body (40) is a polysomic body, (G) the legs of each arcuate drivelever (30; 31) subtend a plane (36; 37) and the second axes of rotation(13; 14) are situated in the planes (36; 37), (H) the two second axes ofrotation (13; 14) are spaced a distance (A) apart (I) at each drivelever (30; 31) the first axis of rotation (11; 12) and the second axisof rotation (13; 14) are separated by a gap (B), and (J) wherein thedistance (A) is equal to the gap (B).
 2. The device as claimed in claim1, wherein the first axes of rotation (11; 12) are transverse to theplanes (36; 37).
 3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secondaxes of rotation (13; 14) are mutually skewed.
 4. The device as claimedin claim 1, further comprising drive elements (1) to rotatively drive atleast one gear (20; 21) in the gear unit (2).
 5. The device as claimedin claim 1, wherein the oval gears (20) exhibit a large semi-axis (a)and a small semi-axis (b) and wherein the shape of the oval isdetermined in that two mutually engaging gears (20) roll off one anotherat a constant axial separation in a positively locking manner.
 6. Thedevice as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance between the axes oftwo mutually engaging oval gears (20) is composed of the sum of thelarge semi-axis (a) and the small semi-axis (b) of the two oval gears(20).
 7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein one oval gear (20)exhibits a ratio of its small semi-axis (b) to its large semi-axis (a)of 1/√2.
 8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one ovalgear (20) exhibits a ratio of its small semi-axis (b) to its largesemi-axis (b) of 1/2. 9-13. (canceled)